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A wide choice of topics covered from the dawn of history right up to present days . Many of these have a wider relevance than purely within the context of Strathearn . The author's viewpoint often is at variance with the accepted opinions espoused elsewhere eg The Jacobite Uprisings and The Reformation .

Culloden Attrocities in the Aftermath

" But the most shocking part of the story is yet to come, - I
mean the horrid barbarities committed in cold blood, after the battle was over.
I do not know precisely how many daysthe dead bodies lay upon the field to glut the eyes of the merciless
conqueror ; but certain it is , that there they lay, till the stench obliged
him to cause to bury them. In the meantime the soldiers , like so many savages
, went up and down, knocking such on the head as hadany remains of lifein them , and ,except in a few instances ,
refusing all manner of relief to the wounded , many of whom, had they been
properly taken care of , would have undoubtedly recovered .A little house into
which agood many of the wounded
hadbeen carried , was set on fire about
their ears ,and every soul in it burnt alive , of which numberwas Colonel Orelli, a brave old gentleman,
who was either in the French or Spanish service .

One Mr Shaw , younger of Kinrara, in Badenoch, had likewise
been carried into another hutwith
woundedmen, and amongst the rest a
servant of his own , who being only wounded in the arm, could have gone off
,but chose rather to stay , in order to attendhis master . The Presbyterian minister at Petty, Mr Laughlan Shaw, being
a cousin of this Kinrara’s, had obtained leave of the Duke of Cumberland to
carry off his friend, in return to the good services the said Mr Laughlan had
done the government; for he had been very active in dissuading his parishioners
and clan from joining the Prince, and had likewise, as I am told, sent the Duke
very pointed intelligence of all the Prince’s. In consequence of this, on the
Saturday after the battle, he went to the place where his friend was, designing
to carry him to his own house. But as he came near, he saw an officer’s
command, with the officer at their head, fire a platoon at fourteen of the
wounded Highlanders, whom they had taken all out of that house , and bring them
alldown at once ;and when he came up ,
he foundhis cousin and his servantwere two of the unfortunate number .

I questioned Mr Shawhimselfabout the story, who
plainly acknowledged the fact, and indeedwasthe person who informed me of
the precise number ; and when I asked him if he knew of any morethat were murderedin that manneron the same day , he told methat he believed that he believedtherewere in all two and twenty . At the same time , they were busy at
Invernesshanging up the poor men , whom
they call deserters, many of whom had been obligedto enlist in the Highland army for mere
subsidence , the government nevervouchsafingto sendany reliefto such of their menas were
taken , well knowing whata
mercifulenemy theyhad to do with . And sogreat was the pleasurethey took in looking at those unhappy
creatures , that they neverhurried any
of them tillthe gallows was full , so
that , I am crediblyinformed therewere sometimes fourteen hangingin italtogether .

Their treatment of the prisoners may easily be guessed at, from what I have
already said , and indeed history , I believe , can scarce afford a parallel to
it .For some days it was dangerousfor
any person to go near them , or to pretendto give them the least relief , so that all of them , especiallythe wounded , were in a most dismal state .
And after they were put on boardthe
ships , numbers of them died every day , and were thrown overboardlike so many dogs , and several of them ,I’m
told , before they were really dead : yea one of them ,’tis said ,came alive
shore near Kessack, though, as to this lastcircumstance , I will not be quite positive . But the best idea I can
give you of their usage, is by transcribing part of a letter from one of themselves,
an authentic copy of which lies just now before me. The writer was one Willian Jack
sometime a merchant, and after that a messenger at Elgin who had been with the
Prince , and was taken prisonersome
weeks after the battle , and went aboardone of their shipsfrom Inverness to London.

“ Gentlemen,- This comes to acquaint you , that I was eight
months and eight days at sea, of which time , I was eight weeks upon halfa poundtwelve ouncesoat- meal , and a
bottle of water in the twenty four hours , which was obliged to make meal and
water in thebottom of an old bottle.
There was one hundred and twenty- five put on board at Inverness on TheJames and Mary of Fife. In the latter end of June , we were put on
board of a transport offour hundred
andfifty ton, called the Libertyand Property , in which we continuedthe rest of eight monthsupon
twelve ouncesof oat sheelin as it came
from the mill. There was thirty-two prisoners put on board of the said Libertyand Property which makes one hundred and fifty -seven and when we
came ashore, there was only in life forty-nine , which wouldbeen no great surprise ifthere had not beenone, conformto our usage. They would takeusfrom the hold in a rope, and a
hoisted usup to the yard –arm , and let
us fall in the seain order for ducking of us; and tying usto the mast and whipping usif we didanythinghowever innocent , that
offended them : this was done to uswhen
we was notable to stand .I will leave
itto the readers to judge what
conditions they might be in themselves with the above treatment . We had
neitherbednor bed- clothes , nor clothes to keep us
warm in day time .The ship’s ballast was black earth and small stoneswhich we was obliged todig holesto lie in to keep warm , till the first of November last , that every
mangot about three “ of gross harn (
sacking )filled up with straw, but no bed
-clothes . I will not trouble you no more till I see you. There is none in life
that went from Elgin with me, but William Innes in Fochabers ….”

( signed ) Will. Jack

Tilbury Fort, March 17th , 1747 "

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Retired part time lecturer at Perth College and former rugby correspondent to our local paper the Strathearn Herald .Former President and a Honorary Member of Crieff & Strathearn Rugby Club. Written 4 books on the local history of Strathearn .